11 January 2017

Shimmer 'n Sparkle Sew Crazy Machine

If your little ones fancy taking up a new hobby to kick start the year, sewing is a great way to get their creative juices flowing. It's ideal for anyone that likes fashion or art in particular too, just like Minxy and I.

We've been putting the Shimmer n Sparkle Sew Crazy Machine to the test recently and we've had plenty of fun with fabric, making a variety of items.

Aimed at children aged 8+ this is an ideal stater machine for tweens and teens that want to give sewing a go, without parents breaking the bank in the process on equipment, and before buying a costly professional/adult alternative. The set comes with 2 small pieces of material, patterns, thread, needles and a useful storage caddy to pop all of the bits and pieces in to. All of the essentials that you require although it would've been nice to have more or larger pieces of cloth for additional projects.

The machine is also pre-threaded for convenience and has two speed settings which can be altered via the pedal or machine itself. It doesn't however come with the 4 AA batteries that are needed to operate it or an mains adapter (we would recommend getting one as it can be frustrating when turning the machine upside-down to remove batteries mid project).

You need to think safety first when needles and children are combined so the guard is a great feature to have, even if it makes it slightly more difficult to replace a needle or thread if they snap which we discovered does happen. It does protect little fingers however so it is probably worth the short delay when unscrewing it each time.

Minxy found the machine relatively easy to use after a little practice and assistance to begin, and she was able to make a pocket for her mobile phone. She is looking forward to making gifts for her friends in the upcoming month as her confidence with Sew Crazy increases.

You can watch the machine in action here:

The Shimmer 'n Sparkle Sew Crazy Machine has a RRP of £29.99 and is available from a variety of stores including Amazon.

27 comments
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Ohh! My youngest has been wanting to make her own dolls clothes and asked for a sewing machine just before Christmas but I said no as I thought she was too young. This would be perfect for her. I will have to remember this for her birthday :D x